SEFIS 2024 Cruise Report

The NOAA Ship Pisces hosted the Southeast Fishery-Independent Survey (SEFIS) for a research cruise in continental shelf and shelf-break waters off North and South Carolina in 2024. The cruise was from 08/02/2024 - 09/30/2024 and included transit days and days in port in between legs.

The plan was to conduct primary SEFIS trap-video operations during two legs (24 DAS) and mapping for one 20-d leg. Leg 1 would occur in the region between Cape Hatteras, NC, and the VA-NC state line, in hopes of expanding our survey northward. Leg 2 would sample traditional trap-video sites between Cape Hatteras, NC, and northern South Carolina. Only two sea days were lost due to late departure from Pascagoula due to bad weather (1 DAS) and a mechanical issue (1 DAS), which delayed the start of leg 1.

1. Fishery-independent sampling of randomly selected stations in North and South Carolina. Baited chevron traps, with two mounted high-definition video cameras were utilized for (a) hardbottom reef fish community assessments, (b) collection of reef fish for biological samples (i.e., otoliths and gonads), and (c) comparative gear sampling (cameras versus traps).

2. Use video cameras on chevron traps to address trap selectivity issues, locate and describe hardbottom habitats, and provide an additional index of abundance for stock assessments.

3. Use a conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) instrument package to collect environmental data (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity) at camera-trap sampling locations.

4. Multibeam sonar mapping (random zig-zag pattern) to estimate proportion and amount of hardbottom across survey range.

5. Mapping and trap-video sampling between Cape Hatteras, NC, and the VA-NC state line for potential northward survey expansion.

6. Sample in Kitty Hawk Wind Energy Area and Carolina Long Bay Wind Energy Area to collect baseline fish and habitat information.

Title : Cruise report : NOAA Ship PISCES, PC-24-04, Southeast Fishery-Independent Survey (SEFIS)

Personal Author(s) : Bacheler, Nathan

Corporate Authors(s) : Southeast Fisheries Science Center (U.S.).;Beaufort Laboratory (U.S.).;

Published Date : 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.25923/tm1c-af06

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